When is the doctor coming? She’s here.

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Imagine this. You’re a new doctor, wearing a long white coat with all the typical embellishments including a stethoscope and identification badge. You introduce yourself to the patient and, after taking an extensive history and physical, the patient asks you when the doctor is coming in. This commonly shared experience amongst female doctors is a running joke between my colleagues and I. After being called “nurse” or “nice lady” daily, you learn to make light of these moments. Perhaps, you even become a little desensitized. One experience was especially comical.

The sunroof in my car was open, the windows down while driving in San Francisco to a clinical rotation. My two female medical school classmates were in my car, dressed in our daily uniform of oversized, light blue scrubs. Our attention was quickly drawn to the large, red double decker tour bus next to us. Over the loudspeaker, the tour guides voice poured through my sunroof and into the windows.

“…And to the left, we have… nurses!” followed by a belly laugh, “Ahh ha ha ha” - that was more of a joke than his joke itself.

This is a shared experience throughout rotations as a medical student, to residency, and I imagine, will continue when we are attendings. All of these memories culminated and consolidated into what became an unexpected but pivotal experience in September 2018 where I had the pleasure of attending my first ever Women’s conference – “Stepping Forward - Leading the Way”. This comprehensive Foot & Ankle Conference produced by the American Association of Women Podiatrists (AAWP) was led by some of the most distinguished female podiatric surgeons including Michelle Butterworth, DPM, Mary Crawford, DPM, Meagan Jennings, DPM, Mitzi Williams, DPM, Thanh Dinh, DPM, Annette Filiatrault, DPM, Aprajita Nakra, DPM, Tracey Vlahovic, DPM, and Stephanie Wu, DPM.

This three-day conference covered various topics from pediatric flatfoot, calcaneal and ankle fractures, trephine arthrodesis to brachymetatarsia repair, melanoma procedures, diabetic foot ulcerations, and cutaneous plastic surgery. Podiatry students, residents, and attendings from across the country joined forces with AAWP and the Podiatry Institute faculty for this conference, forging new relationships all while expanding their knowledge of podiatric medicine and surgery. As the new generation of female doctors, we shared similar double decker tour bus stories all while laughing over them, but also recognizing the deeper, unique issues and disparity that women in medicine and surgery face on a daily basis.

In addition to quality, evidence-based lectures, we also learned about risk management from renowned medical malpractice attorney, Lois Downey, Esq. An extensive research project analyzing statistics of women in podiatry was also presented. This project was impressive in that it was all-inclusive in the issues women face in medicine, more specifically surgical training, including the proclivity toward certain specialties, navigating stereotypes, gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and the balancing act between work and family. This led to a breakout discussion including male attendees and colleagues who shared their unique perspective on these issues as well.

This conference was the missing puzzle piece for me. Attending this conference and meeting such a group of trailblazing, educated. and skilled female surgeons gathered together was empowering, memorable and impactful.

All are welcome to attend the 2nd iteration of this conference in Atlanta, Georgia on May 16-19, 2019.